Anniversary puzzle

[Beth Tyrpin]

Once again I’m late to the party because the invitation was somewhat hidden. I’m in camp four then three. Great construction. Thanks Brian for all you do.

[Joe Ross]

Early morning epiphany fizzled.

[TMart]

So in 44 minutes, I will have been here for exactly a year. I thought I might have been one of the original castaways (I was like the 4th person to "introduce myself," but that was in the second go-around of that thread), but looking at the list, I'm about 50th. To see when you joined, check Quick Links/Members...

I joined the same day- happy anniversary to all! My original “Introduce Yourself” post got deleted and I never went back and redid it. Maybe I’ll redo it someday when I have more time on my hands.......

[MajordomoTom]

grid solved, now working on the meta(s)

it's been too many years since I've been to the 63A-67A.

[BarbaraK]

Finally found the three word phrase. And it has nothing at all to do with what I’d assumed I should be looking at. Which makes me wonder if the reason I can’t get anywhere with with the four word phrase is that I’m in the completely wrong rabbit hole there too.

[hcbirker]

Finally found the three word phrase. And it has nothing at all to do with what I’d assumed I should be looking at. Which makes me wonder if the reason I can’t get anywhere with with the four word phrase is that I’m in the completely wrong rabbit hole there too.

I'm exactly where you are!

[ChrisKochmanski]

Got the 4-word phrase, maybe the 3-word. Fun! Thanks, Brian!

[BrianMac]

Here is a nudge in ROT-13 if you are interested:

Rnpu bs gur sbhe gurzr nafjref vf zvffvat n jbeq.

[hcbirker]

I have the three word. I think I have the four word. We’ll see.

[BrianMac]

Thanks everyone for solving and giving feedback. Special thanks to Al Sisti for coming up with the title and help with several clues. I feel like this was another one that didn't have as strong a "click" as I'd hoped. The idea was that each of the theme entries (identified by reference to Muggles) was missing a word, a the beginning, end or middle of the phrase, as so:

AIR FORCE ONE
SCHOOL YEAR BOOK
OLD FAITHFUL
USA TODAY

I thought that knowing this was an anniversary puzzle might prompt people to be looking for things like "one" and "year," but there was nothing to really indicate that there were missing words to find. Combine that with SCHOOL YEAR BOOK, which is not that strong a phrase, and I can see why the four-word phrase may have been a bit too elusive. The "bonus answer" was more straight forward (I think everyone got it): reading diagonally down from left to right - THANK YOU MUGGLES.

I'm finding it challenging to devise a meta mechanism that is not too easy, but also fair and solvable. I don't like to think that someone devoted their time to solving, but couldn't get a "click" because the mechanism was unfair or too much of a stretch. My respect for the people who do this so well consistently continues to grow!

I have two more meta puzzles coming down the pike that I think will both be 100%-ers, so please stay tuned for those. I would also like to start a new section of the forum for member-created puzzles, but I don't want to be the only one who posts there . Damefox just had her debut puzzle published and she has said she would consider posting some additional puzzles in such a forum. I know there are other members who have dabbled in puzzle-making or are considering doing so, and perhaps there are even seasoned constructors who are laying low. If any of that sounds like you, please consider sharing your puzzles! It would be a great way to get helpful feedback from seasoned solvers, and we can all help each other learn in a judgment-free environment.

[MajordomoTom]

did not invest enough time to solve this, but really appreciate what you've done!!!

[ChrisKochmanski]

Brian, I got ONE YEAR OLD TODAY (nice!), but I did NOT see THANK YOU MUGGLES (you're welcome!).

Grrr!! After all that looking, how did I miss it?

I very much liked the puzzle. Maybe not the absolute cleanest, sparkliest click, but I really enjoyed the thinking I had to do.

Please keep sharing your handiwork!

[FrankieHeck]

I almost *always* at least take a glance at the diagonal in hopes of finding an answer there, and this might have been the first time it finally paid off for me! I wouldn't say I got a 100% click with the four-word answer, but I was sure enough that I would have submitted it to WSJ or MG with a good deal of confidence.

I can't wait to get my hands on your latest puzzles! I would love to be able to construct one, but I think this dog may be too old to learn that trick. I made a puzzle for my Dad for Christmas -- just a crossword, not a meta -- and it was incredibly challenging/frustrating. Probably didn't help that I used free software, but our financial situation has taken a hit, so I'm not able to invest in the hobby at the moment. If I get struck with a brilliant puzzle or meta idea, maybe I can pass it along to a more talented member of the group

[TMart]

Brian - is there a way to post with PDF and PUZ attachments? I’m noodling around with some meta projects but I don’t think I’m able to post them as attachments. I tried a test and got an error message for an invalid attachment.

I think a new section with Muggle creations would be great!

[BrianMac]

Brian - is there a way to post with PDF and PUZ attachments? I’m noodling around with some meta projects but I don’t think I’m able to post them as attachments. I tried a test and got an error message for an invalid attachment.

I think a new section with Muggle creations would be great!

There's not really a usable "upload" feature here. The easiest thing would be to email them to me (brianmac@xword-muggles.com) and I will upload them onto this site's servers, then give you the urls you can post. Or you can host them yourself if you have that capability.

[Meg]

Brian,
I had no idea when you started this forum how lucky we were/are. I just thought you were a meta-lover who knew something about how to set up an online forum. I didn't know how talented you were/are! I think predicting how easy or difficult a meta is may be nigh to impossible. Matt still gets it wrong quite often after over a decade of these things. So, keep throwing us your puzzles. You’re in a very small group!

[boharr]

Brian - keep them coming and thank you.

[hcbirker]

Brian you got me! I kept getting "school text book" in my brain and wouldn't let it go! Nice puzzle, and I appreciated the Thank You Muggles down the diagonal. I think a place to post Muggles puzzles (that has a nice ring to it!) would be awesome. Thanks for all you do!

[hcbirker]

What I forgot to post was what rabbit hole I was in. I noticed a lot of “crosswordese” in the grid - ort, awn, ska etc. Total gibberish!

[BarbaraK]

Thank you for posting the hint before the actual solution. That was a great idea. I still didn't get it, but I appreciated the opportunity for one more try.

FAITHFUL was definitely pointing me at OLD, and I did at some point consider USA TODAY. But "old today" didn't feel like the right track (though it now seems like it should have). For AIR FORCE, I was thinking academy, base, pilot, fighter, bomber, but never hit on one. And all I ever got for SCHOOL BOOK was text, which pulled me toward the clue for 25A.

I looked several times for extra words elsewhere in the grid. I think everything would have clicked if I could have found them there instead of having to think of them.

I'm glad you're continuing to make these and looking forward to your ones!